"Talking Online"

You know, I just realized that one has to type to write or "talk" online. I think that being able to "talk" online is really a necessary means of communication. However, it is a skill that must be developed.

In the middle 50’s, I remember when I was in high school. My mother was only concerned that I could type and take Greg shorthand. She didn’t care if I made D’s in math because she wasn’t a math person. However, I had to make A’s in English, or I would be in big trouble. Of course, I made A’s in PhysEd. However, when I was in the 10th grade mother made sure that I got the classes I needed to be a secretary. She wanted me to be able to get a job when I graduated from high school. The family didn’t care about college because I wasn’t bright enough any ways. And, a family of girls would only go to college to become a home economics teacher or a nurse, so my stepfather wasn’t wasting his money on a bunch of girls who were only going to get pregnant any ways. So, my saving grace has always been that I took those keyboard and Greg short hand classes--so, I take copious notes.

I noticed that my oldest granddaughter was impressed because when I type I can’t look at the keyboard. I told her when I took typing the keys were on a large poster that covered the entire wall near the ceiling in the front of the classroom, so you had to look up to see where the keys are. The keys on the typewriter were blank only the home keys had a dimple on them. If you missed your place, all you had to do was search for the dimples on the F left hand and J right hand keys,so even if it is dark, you can still find the keys. On the old typewriters, every time you reached the margin on the right side you would have to raise your hand and slide a roll that propelled the keys back to the other side of the paper... now, it is the enter key which you use very seldom because of the "wrap" feature of the computer keybaoard. When the electric typewriters came out, only the good typist were allowed to use them. I wasn’t a good typist, so I never got the privilege to use the newest invention.

However, my teacher would stand at the front of the room and tap a pointer--stick-- on her desk. Every time she tapped you would type a letter that she called out. You could only look at the poster above her head and search for the dimpled keys; then, type the keys that she called out. I always wanted to type fast, but I was slow because we didn’t have a typewriter to practice on at home. Believe me, I am still slow.

My sisters’ and I started to beg the folks for a Corona typewriter, but my mom told us if we quit smoking she would buy us a typewriter for Christmas. Now, my sisters’ and I really worked at hiding our little smoking habit, so how did she know that we smoked. Any ways we did not argue because we had already lost, so we consented to stop smoking. When we got that Corona typewriter, we thought we were big stuff. Mind you, this was in the 50’s.

Nowadays, I might add that one can take keyboarding classes online for free. Just know that it takes a lot of practice, but the rewards of expressing oneself with a keyboard are unsurmountable. To be able to "talk" is a sheer joy.

I just wanted to say that I am so grateful to my mother for prodding me to take typing classes in high school. My typing and writing skills have been the stalwart of my life.